'Troubled' man faces five counts

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A Nelson man who barricaded himself in a Blenheim motel room on Wednesday refused medical treatment for multiple cuts to his body, saying he wanted to be dead, a lawyer has said.

Gary Ramon Neville Green, 40, of Nelson, appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday on five charges.

Green was arrested on Wednesday after he shut himself in a room at the Blenheim Spa Motor Lodge in Main St and threatened to harm himself and others with explosive devices.

He was naked and covered in cuts when he came out of the room and gave himself up about 1.30pm.

Duty solicitor Rennie Gould, who represented Green yesterday, said he had a deep cut to his left calf.

Green had hoped it would go septic, she said.

"I asked him if he wanted to be in hospital and he said he wanted to be dead," Mrs Gould said.

He had refused treatment at Wairau Hospital and an X-ray confirmed he had swallowed a razor blade, she said.

Green had posted messages on his Facebook page on Saturday saying he would "bring an end to it all" and "there was no point trying any more".

He said he had tried to get help from everyone including doctors, police and Work and Income, and everyone had told him to "f... off".

Green stayed at the Atlantis Backpackers in Picton over the Christmas period where he had worked as a volunteer and painted a mural.

Owner Sheira Hudson said she thought Green "absolutely" had mental health issues, but he could also be sane.

"He was definitely a troubled child," she said. "He thought the world owed him everything."

Green was very good at getting people to do things for him, Ms Hudson said.

"He managed to get someone to give him this van that he wrote all over with Vivid pen, the most ridiculous things."

A team of 21 police officers, including the armed offenders squad and police negotiators from Nelson were at the incident on Wednesday. Police negotiators talked to Green on the phone while he was inside his motel room and persuaded him to come out.

While being led from the dock in court yesterday, Green asked Judge Tony Zohrab for assurances he would not be physically assaulted or threatened in custody.

Judge Zohrab remanded Green to return to the Blenheim District Court on February 11 to face the fresh charges along with earlier charges of burglary from Takaka Outreach Mental Health Services and a charge of theft from the Hangdog Campground, on which he had been due to appear in the Nelson District Court.

He ordered a psychiatric report to assess if Green was fit to plead and whether he was insane at the time of the motel incident.

Sergeant Dan Mattison, of Blenheim, said Green had been living in Nelson and had breached his bail conditions by going to Blenheim.

Green was remanded in custody.

He had no address to make a bail application, Mrs Gould said.

GREEN IS CHARGED WITH: Wasting police time by behaving in a manner likely to raise serious concerns for the safety of himself and others at the Blenheim Spa Motor Lodge on January 30, knowing the concerns would be groundless. Damaging a room and the fittings at Blenheim Spa and Motor Lodge on January 30. Possession of a glass bulb for smoking methamphetamine on January 30. Two charges of entering St Stephen's Church in Tahunanui without authority and intending to commit a crime between January 24 and 25, and January 27 and 28.